A Rising Threat
by GhostStone
Summary: Nobody expected the vacuum created by Fisk's downfall to go unfilled for long, but out of all the possible forces to fill it, no one considered it might be HYDRA. With a shared city and now a shared enemy, it is only a matter of time before Daredevil comes to the attention of the Avengers. Sequel to The Pains of Being A Hero.
1. Not Alone

It turned out that reporters were horribly vicious, Matt quickly realized after the fiasco when he rescued Tony Stark. They were relentless and eager—even more so when it seemed Matt wasn't going to speak to them. Not a week afterwards, annoyed at their constant badgering and worried one of them would wait for an opportunity a little too keenly and discover his secret, Matt gave in. Foggy had been delighted and took to reading out loud Matt's quotes out of the paper and off of online articles with glee.

But with Matt speaking out to the reporters—his story told—people calmed down and began to leave him alone. To Matt's surprise, once the chaos surrounding being recognized as the hero that saved Tony Stark died down, his life had once again fallen into his normal routine. Well, as normal as his life had been over the last year anyway. However, despite the general public growing tired of him and Matt's belief that Tony Stark would quickly grow bored of popping up unexpectedly, the opposite seemed to be true. Two whole months had now passed since the incident with the truck and still the billionaire was prone to dropping by without warning on occasion, always claiming to have been 'in the area' though Matt knew nothing in Hell's Kitchen would draw the man over on business. And even worse, he seemed to have taken Matt's dismissive attitude toward him as a challenge and seemed determined to win Matt's friendship. If nothing else, Tony Stark was persistent.

However, the gift he had given to Matt in replacement of his broken cane worked surprisingly well and when Matt told Tony that, the man had taken it upon himself to create a never-ending supply of increasingly creative accessibility aids. To be fair, some were actually innovative and had potential, but the vast majority were ridiculous and were entirely useless.

Foggy insisted after every new surprise visit or gift that Matt should take up Tony on his overtures of friendship, but even if he were inclined to take Tony up on his offer, Matt was worried that the closer he allowed the billionaire to get to him, the more likely that his secret identity would be exposed and that was something he was not ready for yet.

Excepting Tony's visits and surprises, the last two months had been surprisingly uneventful and a vague sense of anticipation and dread was beginning to settle over Matt as he waited for some new threat to arise. There was a void in Hell's Kitchen, and something would grow to fill it. It was only a matter of time before something happened, and on a cold Saturday night as he watched over the city, the first whispers of change began to reach him.

Matt had had a few vague feelings before over the past week when he was out during the nights that he was being watched, but there seemed to be nothing too out of the ordinary. Hell's Kitchen was by no means empty by night, and if there was someone lurking who didn't belong—who was taking an uncommon interest in him—Matt couldn't pick them out of the ambient noise of the night.

Matt had just taken out a pair of young men attempting to mug an elderly man in a back alley, binding them and alerting the police when, for the first time, Matt was absolutely certain that he was being watched. Slipping away as the police arrived, Matt relocated himself to a nearby roof and took deep breaths, steadying himself as he tried to hone in on whoever was stalking him. The noise of the police and a nearby intersection clouded his senses, but soon enough, the police carted away the muggers and some of the noise was silences. A sudden soft sound of the crunch of gravel on another roof suddenly snatched his attention and he focused in on where it had come from. A small smile touched his lips as he listened closer. He had found his watcher. They were hidden on a roof about two hundred feet from where he was now—around a hundred from where he had fought the muggers. Yet the spot would have had an excellent view of the fight, and he was still in the line of their vision. Upon more analysis, he came to the conclusion that they were crouching behind several electrical units on top of a three story building. If he had to rely on sight, it was unlikely he would be able to spot them, but now that he knew where to search, he could hear the echo of the heartbeat off the metal of the units. All the previous times he had thought to have caught a hint of the stalker, Matt had been unable to eliminate the possibility of some resident of Hell's Kitchen or a passerby, but there was no chance that someone hidden on a roof, watching, wasn't his elusive pursuer. Gambling that they wouldn't give up their position without the assurance that Matt had made them, he casually scaled a fire escape and slowly made his way toward the roof that the person was on, pretending to be watching a lone male walking the streets as he moved to give himself purpose to the person observing him.

As he moved, taking a roundabout path, Matt listened to the heartbeat of his stalker. He could glean little from listening. The heartbeat was controlled and calm as if the watcher was not on a mission to watch someone as dangerous as Matt had proven to be.

He paused one roof over, pretending to look down over the city and back at the man still walking the streets below, but instead focusing in completely on the person still in hiding on the next roof. He heard them shift and crouch down a little more before exhaling softly. Relaxing. They were convinced that he had not seen them, he inferred. Matt listened intently to take in everything he could about whoever was there. The heartbeat was still slower than most—a professional then in peak athletic form—as it sounded louder now that he was close. The breathing would have been silent to any but him. As he continued to build a better picture of his stalker now that he was near, he took in the general build and realized that it was a woman, slight and around average height. When she shifted he could tell she was heavy for her size—fit and muscled.

When Matt had discerned everything he believed he could without engaging her, he considered his options. Now that he knew her heartbeat and breathing, he would likely be able to pick her out again if she followed him, but it couldn't be certain that she was working alone. For all he knew, it could be a different watcher every night, and sooner or later one might be able to track him to his home or to Foggy. But confronting her had issues all of its own. She was clearly trained well and he could not be certain to have the advantage in a fight. However, she had only watched him thus far and if she had been out to kill, he likely would have already been drawn into a confrontation.

With sudden determination, Matt decided on a plan and leapt to her roof, still making no hint that he knew of her well concealed hiding place. As he passed, Matt suddenly spun, launching at her in an attempt to get a hold of her before she could attack, but before he reached her, despite having the element of surprise, she was on her feet, dancing just out of reach. While Matt quickly regained his balance from his missed grab, she landed two quick blows, a kick to the back which almost sent him sprawling followed by a swipe at his legs which did. Matt rolled to his feet smoothly, circling as he considered his opponent warily.

She was clearly waiting for him to make the first move, and when he did, she managed to turn his attack against him and once more he was sent tumbling, only experience allowing him to quickly end up back on his feet and ready to parry her rapid follow-up blows. More cautious this time, Matt launched another attack, predicting how she would try to use it against him and landing a solid hit to her ribs as he spun past. A puff of breath was forced from her and she spun away, considering him just as he considered her.

A quick and hard series of strikes was exchanged between the two of them, with her landing just a few more that Matt did. Still, neither came out on top and when they squared away again, each observing the other, Matt realized for the first time that she was grinning, enjoying herself. Her heartrate was elevated from exertion, but there was no fear there. She had passed on several hits that could have seriously injured him—just as he had passed on one or two that would have put her down as without knowing her intentions he didn't desire to injure her enough to need a hospital. A sudden realization hit him. She wasn't really fighting him to defeat him as much as she was sparring, testing his abilities and exercising his own. Matching her smile as he realized this, he engaged again.

Their battle drew on for a long ten more minutes before Matt found himself flat on his back on the roof, panting heavily and unable to immediately get back up again. "You're good." She acknowledged finally, her voice holding no malice. He was impressed and not a little jealous at the steadiness of her voice. Her speech not belying the exhaustion he knew she too was feeling. "Your style needs a bit of refining though." She offered her hand to him. Matt hardly hesitated before he accepted it and she pulled him to his feet. Matt took another moment to catch his breath.

Matt snorted. "The people I mostly fight are criminals who aren't trained—or at least not trained in the sense that you or I am trained." His mind suddenly flashed to Nobu. "I don't have much opportunity to spar with equals—even less so equals who don't intend to kill me."

"Not quite equals." She said, and he could hear the smirk in her voice. "I won." Matt laughed before considering her.

"Why have you been following me the last week?" He asked suddenly, wanting to get to the point of this whole business.

She paused in surprise. "You made me before."

Matt shook his head. "I knew someone was there, but tonight was the first time I was able to find you." After a few moments of her silence, Matt was about to question her more.

"Still, I didn't expect you to know I was following you. I admit that I was curious about you." She answered. "And there are many differences between rumors and media and the truth. I wanted to observe you in person."

He nodded at that, thinking over her answer. A sudden noise caused him to turn suddenly his attention focused a street over. A metal trash can had been knocked over, but it was only a raccoon. He turned back. To stop her from her silent observation of him, Matt changed directions of questioning. "Who are you?" Matt asked. "You have me at a disadvantage."

She was clearly amused. "Do you not have a guess?"

Matt considered everything he knew. It didn't seem that she was an enemy—at least she didn't seem to mean him any harm. She was good—maybe even better than Nobu was if she were to fight without pulling her punches. He was certain that if she had been fighting to kill she would have had more than a few opportunities during their fight. Taking into account that she thought he might be able to guess, Matt suddenly realized a very probable possibility. "Black Widow?" He questioned. She didn't have to verbally confirm it for him to know that he was right. The small, invisible tells of her body gave it away. "Was curiosity the only reason you have been following me?"

"Not only. For the moment we trust that you are doing good for Hell's Kitchen, and so long as you continue on in the way you have been, we are unlikely to interfere." She paused. "I have information you might be interested in hearing." She said quietly. "With the collapse of Fisk's network, there is a vacuum, and whispers have reached me that HYDRA might be slipping in in a few places. I haven't heard anything specific, and nothing has been confirmed, but I thought you should know."

Matt considered that for a few seconds. HYDRA was bigger than he had dealt with before—and probably more dangerous than Fisk had been. "I'll keep watch for them." He said, hoping her intelligence was wrong, but doubting it at the same time. If the Black Widow had heard that HYDRA was putting down roots in Hell's Kitchen, then she likely knew what she was talking about. A yell, several blocks distance caught his attention and he turned, listening intently. He was needed. "Was there anything more?" He asked.

"Nothing." Matt nodded and then turned to leave. She made no move to follow him as he contemplated the fastest way. "Good luck." She said finally before smiling slightly. "I might swing by some time to spar again."

"I'll find you." Matt said in return, prompting her to smile more widely at the challenge.

"We'll see." She said. Though Matt listened, she didn't move from the roof until he was over a block away, on his way to stop a fight that was beginning to escalate before it got too violent. Sirens alerted him that the police were already on their way to the brawl, and deciding that he had had enough for the night, Matt returned to his apartment and showered quickly before getting into bed, his clock telling him that it was almost four o'clock in the morning. With a groan, Matt pulled his blankets over him and closed his eyes, knowing that the morning would come far too soon for his liking as he sank into sleep.

 **AN:** **I'm always open to hearing suggestions for my stories, as even I rarely know where they are going. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read my stories. I hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Matt and Foggy

Matt was usually a light sleeper. As a child it had been worse. After the accident he had been unaccustomed to his newly enhanced senses and the slightest noise or smell could pull him from a deep sleep in milliseconds, but as the years went on, he began to get used to it. Still unexpected or sudden noises—especially those close to him—would still jolt him awake suddenly.

That was why, when his covers were suddenly ripped off of him and thrown on the ground, exposing his bare chest to the chilled air, Matt woke with a start and almost rolled off his bed before recognizing Foggy standing over him. Forcing himself back into calm now that there was no apparent threat, Matt turned his head toward his best friend scowling.

"What was that for?" He asked a bit grumpily before stretching and immediately regretting it as pain from the previous night's fight shot through his body. Foggy's heartrate jumped and he drew closer.

"We were going to meet for coffee." Foggy said quietly, sounding rather subdued for someone who had just ripped the covers off a bed to wake a friend up. "You weren't there and then you didn't answer your phone. I was worried that…" He trailed off. Matt felt him draw closer and then jumped a bit as Foggy's hand touched a particularly nasty bruise on the back of his shoulder. Foggy pulled back his hand sharply. "Matt…"

Grabbing a shirt to hide his injuries from Foggy's searching eyes, Matt reached for his phone only to find it without power. He plugged it in and stretched again, more carefully than before, and rose to his feet. "Coffee first." As the pot was brewing, they waited in silence. "What time is it, anyway?" Matt asked suddenly.

"Ten." Foggy answered. "Matt, do you…Claire?" Matt caught his friend's jumbled sentence and felt a pang of guilt at worrying him once again.

"I'm fine, Foggy. Really. They are just bruises this time." Matt poured himself a glass of coffee and took a deep sip—nearly scalding his tongue—before smiling slightly as he predicted what Foggy's reaction would be to the news that he had. Foggy claimed a cup of coffee for himself before following Matt to sit down on the couch. "The bruises," Foggy flinched, sending another ping of guilt through Matt, "I got them in a fight, but neither of us was trying to hurt the other." Foggy made a skeptical noise and Matt found himself grinning pausing a bit to add a bit of suspense.

"Guess who I met last night?" Foggy made no effort to guess at, but was starting to relax as he came to the conclusion that Matt really wasn't badly injured. "I knew that someone had been following me recently—watching me. Last night I was finally able to track them and we fought—well, sparred is more accurate." He paused a bit dramatically. "I met the Black Widow."

Foggy's reaction did not disappoint. He swelled with excitement and his heart sped up ridiculously. "You _sparred_ with Black Widow?" He questioned incredulously before suddenly laughing. _"Dude_ , if your bruises are anything to go by, she completely trounced you."

Matt scowled. "I did just fine."

"She flattened you." Foggy's voice was mocking now, and the pure amusement there without any of the tension that had been between them recently raised Matt's spirits.

"It wasn't _that_ bad." Matt insisted, a smile touching his lips as he fell into the familiar banter.

"So you are saying you didn't lose?" Foggy asked in an innocent tone.

"No, but—" Matt suddenly laughed, shoving Foggy. Foggy yelped as he almost spilled his coffee before joining Matt in laughter. "She's an Avenger." Matt defended himself. "If I could easily beat her I would be concerned about having the Avengers protecting us."

"You were concerned about the Avengers protecting us before that."

"That's true." Matt admitted. "And I still think they should be monitored somehow, but…" Matt suddenly grew serious. "She came to Hell's Kitchen for a reason, Foggy. She has heard rumors that HYDRA has moved in."

"No." Foggy breathed, a spark of shock and fear spiking his pulse. Before he took a deep breath and released it. "HYDRA? Matt…"

Matt took a deep breath. "I know. I'll be careful. And Black Widow said she'd be back. I'm going to listen and see what I can find. If HYDRA is here, then the Avengers will likely step in too. I'll get a way to contact them."

"Other than Tony Stark?" Foggy asked with a smirk. "Because he'd be plenty happy if you returned his calls for once." Matt rolled his eyes. "Get their phone numbers. As Daredevil."

"I will."

Foggy sighed. "And stay in tonight?" Matt hesitated. "One day won't change anything, and I need you at work tomorrow. Please?"

After a few moments, Matt gave in. "Alright. How about we make up our missed coffee with stronger drinks later? We haven't been out in too long."

"Deal." Foggy got up and washed his coffee mug before putting it on the drying rack. "I'll see you at nine. If you don't show up, I will hunt you down." With a parting smile, Foggy left. "I'll meet you at Josie's Bar." He called over his shoulder. "And I mean it about hunting you down. I will drag you there if I have to."

"I'll see you later, Foggy." Once he heard the confirmation that Foggy was leaving, Matt went back to his bedroom and grabbed the blankets off the floor before collapsing back onto his bed and huffing a laugh, content to laze around until drinks later.

 **AN:** **I know this chapter is pretty short. It's mostly just an interlude I felt was needed. I should have the next chapter up soon!**


	3. A Second Meeting

True to his word, Matt hadn't gone out that night, actually making it to drinks on time. Busyness at work ended up keeping him in the next few nights as well, and by the time that Wednesday evening came, Matt was anxious to begin searching Hell's Kitchen for any sign that the Black Widow hadn't been mistaken. Slipping into his suit, Matt climbed out the fire escape and worked his way in toward a high roof towards the center of Hell's Kitchen. It was one of the better vantage points in the city.

Once he was settled in Matt took a deep breath and let the noises of the city wash over him, not filtering anything for the moment, but trying to catch every sound he could. His heart began to race as it overwhelmed him, but Matt tried to force himself into a calm and began filtering. First he focused on ignoring the sounds of the innumerable cars and buses that were going about even at the late hour. It took him a few minutes before he was able to accomplish the proper focus that Stick had so long ago drilled into him. The noises of the streets—the rumbling of engines, blaring of horns, and the screeching—faded away and he was left with every other noise filling the city. It was just as overwhelming as before if not more as now rather than white noise the multitude of cars had provided he heard the overlapping of thousands of voices, the scrabbling of rats and stray cats and the other city animals, and the various other noises that made up the night. He forced back the beeping of stoplights, the noise from animals and televisions and the general buzz of the electrical and heating systems of the buildings.

It had been about half an hour since he had come up to the top of the building and finally Matt had narrowed his focus to only include the voices and heartbeats of the people in Hell's Kitchen. He took one step further and narrowed out those voices and heartbeats that seemed to belong to infants and small children before finally beginning to pick out voices and listening—searching for any mention of HYDRA, but also for any grouping of people in the night who might be a part of the shadow organization.

Hours passed with no whisper of anything that pointed to HYDRA, and at around three in the morning when a headache was beginning to build steadily, Matt called it a night and slipped through the dark back to his apartment and went to sleep.

The next week passed similarly. Every other time he went out as Daredevil Matt dedicated himself solely to listening and seeking out HYDRA, but learned nothing. It was on the Tuesday after his fist night out listening, that a different sound caught his attention—one that he had been waiting for.

The slow, steady heartbeat and quiet breathing had been committed to his memory, and Matt slipped down from the building and began working his way across the city to wait. She had just barely entered Hell's Kitchen, but how he had been listening had caused him to notice her appearance almost immediately. Picking a good spot, Matt settled into an alley along her pathway. She would have passed him by without notice—not having expected him so soon, but Matt stepped out of the shadows and she spun, ready for a fight.

Matt smirked at her, amused that he had caused her heartrate to spike, though he could sense no other sign that she had been startled. "Black Widow." He greeted softly. "I told you I'd find you."

She was silent for a few moments before speaking. "You can call me Natasha. You're good. How did you find me? I just got here."

"I know." Matt admitted, but was unwilling to give away his abilities. He was grateful when she didn't press him, simply giving a soft laugh. He was surprised she had given him permission to use her name. He knew it of course—it had come out in the events surrounding the fiasco with HYDRA, but he hadn't presumed to call her that.

"The others will laugh at me if I tell them. It's not often that someone manages to sneak up on me." She glanced around. "Let's move out of this alley. We are pretty conspicuous even without your costume. Why red?"

Matt shrugged. "I like red. And it's easy enough to keep hidden. No one ever looks up." She nodded, acknowledging his point. "I know a quiet place." Matt said before climbing onto the roof, a bit of mischief filling him. "Keep up." He had a definite advantage as they climbed and leapt across the roofs of Hell's Kitchen. He was familiar with the path he was taking, and despite her other skill and competence in following, it was obvious enough that she didn't often travel by rooftop. When he arrived at his destination—a roof of an empty office building that was hard to see from any of the surrounding buildings—Matt stopped, his breath coming heavily. The Black Widow was about ten seconds behind him and landed on the roof lightly before stopping to catch her breath as well.

"Hawkeye would like you." She commented flatly. Matt smiled. "That wasn't really a complement." She commented dryly and he grinned widely. A few minutes later when they had both caught their breath, Matt took the time to focus his listening on the city again. It was becoming easier to do each day and taking less of his concentration—he could do it without thinking though the more he concentrated the more he could take in. At the moment, he limited his focus to the surrounding blocks. "I'll know if anyone notices us."

He was surprised when she took him at his word before realizing that she had probably concluded that he had abilities beyond the norm for humans, even if she wasn't sure what his abilities were. And he had read about her in the data release when HYDRA had made themselves known. He wasn't sure how much of the information about her was true—he doubted even SHIELD had had the complete story of her life—but from what he had found he knew she had a dark past before SHIELD and the Avengers. And she was a spy. It wouldn't surprise him if her ability to tell if someone was lying rivaled his own. The observation reminded him to consider his words carefully to ensure that he didn't give himself away by mistake.

"What have you found?" She asked suddenly, breaking the silence between them.

"I haven't found anything suspicious yet." Matt said. "I've been out searching for anything that could be connected, but nothing so far. Have you heard anything more?"

She nodded. "They are definitely here, though I think it is a small number right now. Stark has managed to electronically trace some money here—though we didn't get anything narrower than Hell's Kitchen from the trace. HYDRA has been quiet. It's worrisome. We don't know what they are planning."

Matt sighed. He had been hoping for something more. The sounds of a fight caught his attention for a moment before he dismissed it. It was the typical bar fight and nothing he needed to see to. He realized that some tell must have given away his flicker of attention because Natasha was suddenly watching him with intent curiosity. "I realized the other day that I should have some way to contact you or the others. If I find something concrete it would be good to have backup."

"Do you have a phone for this?" She asked.

Sliding his phone out, Matt considered it for a moment. It was a relatively new burner phone and the only call on it had been one to Claire. Deciding it was unlikely to give too much away, he tossed her his phone. She began entering a few numbers. "I entered the numbers under the first letter of our codenames. I gave you mine, Hawkeye's, Captain America's, and one that would be picked up my JARVIS, Stark's AI. On the chance that none of us answer, he will and can get you in contact with someone." She tossed his phone back and he slipped it away. I hope you don't mind me sending myself your number as well." He shook his head. He had noticed her doing it, and it would be easier if she could contact him over phone anyway. "Is there any time I shouldn't call—that someone else might accidently pick up?"

"No." He answered. "If I'm somewhere I wouldn't want anyone to see me answer I'd either leave it behind of have it on silent."

She nodded, walking a few steps over to sit down against the wall of the roof's stair access. Matt considered it for a few moments—wondering if she actually felt like sitting down or if it was some test to see if she could figure something out about him—before sitting against the AC unit several feet away, stretching a bit. If she was planning to stick around a while longer it would be good to stay and try to establish a bit of trust. "If you find HYDRA don't engage them alone." She commented quietly. "They are dangerous—more than anyone else you might have faced. If they beat you, they might do worse than kill you." Matt was curious. There was something hidden in her voice. Her warning wasn't a general one, but one that had its roots in something that had happened to someone. She glanced over at him with consideration. "I was asked to convey a request for a favor from the Captain." Matt paused curiously, turning his attention to her. "If you hear any mention of the Winter Soldier, let him know. Even if it's just in passing."

"Sure." Matt agreed easily. That wouldn't be any more difficult that what he was already doing. He wondered who or what it was that Captain America was looking for, but could tell from the tone of Natasha's voice that asking wouldn't get him any more information than he had already been given. "Anything more you hear of HYDRA in Hell's Kitchen let me know as soon as possible. Any information can narrow down my search and I can find them faster."

As silence fell between them, Matt could tell that she was considering him intently even if she wasn't really looking at him at the moment. She was trying to figure him out—not who he was but what he could do. He wondered what she was guessing, but didn't want to ask, knowing his reaction to what she was thinking if she answered was liable to give away more than he wished to. After a few more minutes of silence, she spoke again.

"I'll be away for the next week or two, possibly more. Hawkeye might come in my place if we find anything." Matt nodded, grateful for the warning. He knew the least about Hawkeye. As soon as the information had been dumped, pieces of it started being erased. Anything someone found and stored or shared had been everywhere, but a lot seemed to somehow disappear, and Matt—along with everyone else—had suspected Stark. A lot of the missing information seemed to be about the Avengers and Stark Industries in general, but there was a lot of other information to disappear as well. He knew that Hawkeye went by the name Clint Barton and that he had been an assassin and spy, but no one had been able to find much more than that. It had been in SHIELDs records that Hawkeye and Black Widow had been partners—going on missions and undercover together. He was likely as observant and talented as she was. Matt made a mental note to pay attention. It didn't seem like Natasha was particularly intent on figuring out who he was, but an unexpected tail to his apartment could expose his identity.

Matt suddenly pushed to his feet. He wanted to spend at least a little while longer listening tonight, especially now that he had confirmation that HYDRA was in Hell's Kitchen. Black Widow stood as well. "I'll see you around." She said with a small smile. Matt returned her smile before taking off toward his usual spot to listen, a pit of worry in his stomach as he what exactly HYDRA wanted in Hell's Kitchen. He knew he needed to find them as quickly as possible before they could set too deep of roots.

 **AN:** **I still have only a general idea of where this series is going so if anyone has any ideas or things they would like to see, let me know, because I always love fresh ideas. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can find the time.**


	4. HYDRA and Hawkeye

The knowledge that someone unfamiliar might be watching him in Hell's Kitchen had Matt horribly on edge. Even worse, the watcher had the codename Hawkeye which, if it meant anything at all, implied great vision. The fact that his weapon of choice was a bow and arrow heavily implied good eyesight as well, but knowing whether or not it was enhanced was a matter Matt knew nothing about. If his vision was as good as any of Matt's senses, there was no way of knowing he would observe Hawkeye before the man made him. Matt didn't know entirely how to be assured he was not watched and opted instead for taking the most roundabout paths and detours to and from his apartment. If sight was Hawkeye's strong suit, then it would be hampered by twisting detours around corners and in dark alleyways. Just the fact that that someone was watching, however, wasn't enough to prevent him from going out during the nights. He couldn't ignore the cries in the dark even if he tried—he had tried that before.

Between breaking up fights and protecting late-night stragglers caught out on the streets, Matt spent as long as he could perched on roofs, simply listening. It had taken almost a week of patient nights listening for any signs before he heard the first whispers of HYDRA in the city. It was almost nothing, but as he was about to call it a night, he heard the echo of a quiet 'Hail HYDRA' from several blocks away and was on his feet in an instant, moving towards the source. By the time Matt was close, he had lost the exact location of the sound though he knew he was close. Settling down again, he continued to listen—all exhaustion was gone, replaced with adrenaline. However there was no more talking and no hints to tell him where exactly HYDRA might be. Matt memorized the area anyway before returning home.

The next night Matt returned to the same roof, passing by several opportunities he potentially could have helped. HYDRA settling into Hell's Kitchen took priority over petty crime. Again there was no indication of anything underhanded going on. The area was quiet. It was two days later and he was about to give up on the lead when a large vehicle—a van he was fairly certain from the sound of it—parked outside the building across the street from where he was waiting. There was a loud grating and then suddenly noise came to Matt's ears. A ramp to a basement had opened up and he realized it had been soundproofed. If he had known what to listen for, he might have been able to hear, but only listening for the normal sounds of people in buildings, he hadn't thought to try harder.

There were at least three people in the basement, moving boxes and then unloading the van. No matter how he tried, Matt couldn't tell what exactly it was being unloaded and no one was talking except for a few short, barked commands. The ramp shut and Matt had to strain to hear even the faintest of noises from inside. He hesitated for a long while, wondering before he made a decision and slipped his burner phone from his pocket, dialing the number Natasha had given him for Hawkeye.

"Daredevil." A man's voice greeted, answering only after several rings. "Nat said you might call."

Matt hesitated for a moment, knowing it would be entirely possible to try and match his voice. But that was something Natasha could have easily done if she hadn't already. "I found a pocket of HYDRA. I haven't been able to determine what they are doing, but they are taking shipments of something delivered in vans." There was silence on the other end. "Have you heard anything new?"

"Nothing you haven't already been told. If HYDRA is good at anything it's hiding. You need backup?"

"I'm going to watch. If I go in now I might not find out what they are up to. It's an abandoned warehouse." Matt gave the address. "I'd appreciate it if you let me know if you find anything."

"Keep us updated. And if you need backup, call." Matt hung up the phone and returned to trying to listen.

The next night, when Matt returned to his roof, it was occupied already. He hesitated a moment before determining that the person was observing the HYDRA location. He doubted it was coincidence, so he walked over calmly. "Hawkeye." He greeted simply, listening. The man's reaction gave away that Matt had guessed correctly. Matt slipped into a more hidden position near the other man. "Have you seen anything?"

"It's quiet." Was the answer. Matt was aware of the man observing him and made a show of looking over at the building.

"Whatever is going on there, it's in the basement. There is a ramp that they can open from the roadside. Everything is soundproofed." A nod was the only answer Matt got for his comment. They sat quietly for a long while, but it seemed that nothing would happen that night. Several hours had passed without incident when Matt sighed and stretched.

Hawkeye glanced over at him. "You're certain it's HYDRA?"

"One-hundred percent." Matt answered, not wanting to tell the man how he knew. "If I call anyone from your team for backup, I want to know there will be no killing."

"Can't promise that." Hawkeye answered, and Matt frowned at him. After a minute of staring at each other, Hawkeye sighed. "I'll talk to the team. No killing if at all possible."

Matt frowned even more. The first part of his statement was the truth, but the second was a little off. "You're lying." Surprise from the archer was suddenly evident to Matt. "I don't kill, and I won't work alongside people that are killing. To me it's the same. I want a promise or I won't call."

There was a long moment of consideration. "I promise that—"

"Mean it." Matt demanded.

A sharp inhale greeted his command and he was certain that Hawkeye was trying to figure him out. He wondered for a moment if he had given too much of himself away, but Hawkeye gave no indication of observing anything strange. There was another wait before Hawkeye spoke again. "I will speak to them and we will do our best to prevent fatalities in a fight if you call us. I promise." Matt observed, waiting for any tell that the man wasn't being honest but there was no sign. He gave a sharp nod—that was as good as he was likely to get—before getting to his feet and leaving for the night, listening carefully to be sure that he wasn't being tracked. He trusted Black Widow to respect his secret identity, but Hawkeye was yet an unknown. However, as he listened for any signs that he was being tracker there were none. And so he cautiously returned to his apartment.


End file.
